The Good Wife Bosses on Alicia and Will, "War" at the Firm and Kalinda 2.0

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Mar 4, 2013 at 12:01 AMMar 4, 2013 at 3:22 AM

Breathe easy, Good Wife fans. The end of the show isn't near. Just the end of Peter's gubernatorial campaign."We have every reason to anticipate we're coming back," co-creator and executive producer Michelle King told reporters on a conference call Monday. ...

TV Guide

Breathe easy, Good Wife fans. The end of the show isn't near. Just the end of Peter's gubernatorial campaign.

"We have every reason to anticipate we're coming back," co-creator and executive producer Michelle King told reporters on a conference call Monday. Added her husband, co-creator and executive producer Robert King, "We're writing as if we're coming back."

No one can blame fans of the CBS legal drama for being concerned. For all the show's critical acclaim and big-name guest stars, The Good Wife dipped to a series low 1.4 rating in the adults ages 18-49 demo on Feb. 17. The show bounced back to a 1.6 the following week, and the Kings said the ratings haven't been an issue with CBS. "They're very sophisticated in terms of how the ratings work," Michelle said. "They've never given anything but a positive response and they really focus on the creative and just say that they're fans of the show."

Creatively, the show is enjoying a recent resurgence with critics now that Alicia (Julianna Margulies) has been made an equity partner at the once-again-profitable Lockhart Gardner and Peter's campaign to become the next Governor of Illinois is hitting its peak. So what's next for Alicia and Will (Josh Charles) after their weak moment? When will fans find out if Peter (Chris Noth) is headed to the Governor's mansion? Read on for all that and more:

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Willicia, the sequel? Not so fast...: Just because Alicia and Will kissed, doesn't mean it's time to start dusting off the "Team Will" T-shirts. "She was off the hook ethically and morally because of the way Peter behaved, and now things are warming up with Peter again and she does see a change in Peter. It's a difficult situation because the sexuality with Will doesn't go away," Robert said. "The most interesting love triangle is what happens when the drama doesn't give the character an easy out. So I think it's Alicia struggling with her attraction to two men, and we're going to explore that all the way through the end of the year." If anything, this kiss will drive Will and Alicia away from each other - specifically Will towards Laura (Amanda Peet). "Does it create commitments that wouldn't exist if the kiss didn't happen? That's the question," Robert said.

Cary 2.0: After having visions of yachts dancing in his head, Cary (Matt Czuchry) won't let go of his lost promotion so easily. "He thinks Lockhart Gardner is a corrupt place. They promised something and then pulled it back," Robert said, "and he's not giving up [on his] designs on outside the firm." His quest for revenge may make enemies, but he'll have one big ally in Kalinda (Archie Panjabi). "One of the things that Kalinda likes is when Cary is in take-no-prisoners mode. When he is not the suburban white boy who sits back passively, but someone who attacks something and is proactive," Robert said. "So, yes, Kalinda is attracted to that."

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This means war: After going up against the partners during the mock trial, look for Alicia's aggressive side to start making more frequent appearances as the firm heads towards "civil war," as Robert King called it. "She is going to slowly venture into a place where she can challenge these name partners more. .. It creates a stronger confrontational mode between Alicia and Diane," he said. Added Michelle: "This is a person that now feels more confident. She knows her worth as a lawyer and she's really begun to accept her worth as a partner."

The campaign is winding down ... and heating up: The Kings confirmed that fans will know by the end of the season whether Peter is headed to the governor's mansion. If Peter does win, Eli's (Alan Cumming) next goal will be the White House. But first, he'll have to defeat campaign consultant Jordan (T.R. Knight) once and for all. "What you're going to see in the coming episode is this battle between Eli and T.R. Knight for the direction of the campaign. As much as [Jordan] has shot himself in the foot, he's still limping and he's still there," Robert said. "What is interesting is [Jordan] is not an uncomfortable character. He's just uncomfortable with Alicia because he doesn't know the ins and outs of what she's about."

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Meet the new Kalinda: After a rocky start to the year - what with her violent ex-husband popping up and then suddenly disappearing - Kalinda will face another hurdle when the firm decides to hire a second investigator named Robyn (Jess Weixler). "What we were looking for was basically as opposite of a young woman as we could find from Kalinda," Robert said. "What we wanted to do was see how Kalinda worked through the eyes of somebody else and through somebody in theory she is supposed to train. But obviously there is this complicated dynamic that exists between these two."

Familiar faces at the firm: Now that she's checked out of Emily Owens, M.D.. - too soon? - Mamie Gummer will reprise her role as Nancy Crozier in Episode 21. As TVGuide.com first reported, Gary Cole will also be back this season but his one episode may multiply if his schedule works out. The Kings are even already looking ahead to next season to bring back Nathan Lane's Clarke Hayden as "a novice lawyer. What interests us is someone that late in life getting what they wished for and does it work out the way they wanted," Robert said. Parker Posey may also return next season as Eli's ex-wife. "There was just such a fun dynamic there, we want to return to that," he said.

The Good Wife airs Sundays at 9/8c on CBS. Who do you think Alicia should choose? Do you want to see Cary and Kalinda hook up? Which fan-favorite characters do you want to return? Sound off below!

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